It may sound odd calling an '80s econobox a luxury car, but in my opinion that's exactly what the 1987 Chevy Nova is. Why? Because it works, and works well. You don't have to spend a lot of time or money on it.

This car is a twin of the Toyota Corolla and Geo/Chevy Prizm. The particular body style was sold as the Toyota Sprinter in Japan. My car was manufactured at the joint GM-Toyota NUMMI plant in Fremont, California, one of the first efforts to synergize Japanese and American automotive manufacturing and design.

First of all, the reliability is outstanding. If a part is wearing out, this car will give you plenty of advance notice -- it never just died on me. Furthermore, repair costs have been minimal. Since the car is "officially" worth virtually nothing, these days I do my own regular maintenance.

Not only has mechanical reliability been good, the bodywork has also held up well. There is only minor rust in a few out-of-the-way places after 15 harsh salted-road northern winters. So it still looks good -- and in my opinion, much better than the excessive body mouldings prevalent on newer cars.

Gas mileage is also very good. I still get 30 miles per gallon on a 16-year-old car. I've found I can just drive how I want to and don't need to worry too much about how it affects my fuel cost -- just fill up with a tank a month or so.

Performance is also pretty good once you learn how to drive this car. It takes a little practice to get good low-end acceleration; above 30mph, it's quite brisk. Wind, road and engine noise start to pick up above 55mph, but performance is strong up to 85mph (the maximum on the speedometer) and beyond.

Like all good luxury automobiles, the 1987 Chevy Nova is quite comfortable. In particular, the front seats feel better than any of the chairs in my house. The back seats are as you might expect more plain, and have only lap belts; leg room is fine as long as the front seats aren't all the way back.

The radio is also quite good in this car, with a bright (but not too bright) green LED display and clear static-free digitally-tuned reception, even with the antenna down. The display is automatically dimmed when you turn on the headlights, a nice touch. I only wish car radios came standard with front-panel line-in jacks back then.

Finally, I'd like to note that most owners of so-called "luxury" vehicles often have to worry about theft and vandalism. When they drive through a poor neighborhood, they get nervous; for me, on the other hand, it's a chance to see more fully-functional 80's Chevy Novas. Peace of mind -- now that's a real luxury.

Major maintenance work performed:

I had to replace the head gasket at about 65,000 miles.

I had to recharge the brake lines at about 70,000 miles.

The ceiling liner cloth came unglued and had to be replaced.

Amount Paid (US$): 8000
Condition: New
Model Year: 1987
Model and Options: Notchback Automatic